Conveyor device

ABSTRACT

A conveyor is described which includes, for example, a bucket wheel arranged on a jib for reducing especially compressed stockpiles or, respectively, for piling up bulk goods, conveyor is constructed so as to pick up or pile up piled-up bulk goods. The conveyor includes a measuring device for measuring the surface profile of the stockpile device. The conveyor is associated with a control device which is constructed so as to move the conveyor automatically to the desired removal or, respectively, piling-up position in dependence on the measured stockpile surface.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a conveyor device including, forexample, a bucket wheel arranged on a jib for reducing, for examplecompressed stockpiles or for piling up bulk goods. The conveyor deviceis constructed so as to pick up or pile up piled-up bulk goods. Theconveyor device includes a measuring device for measuring the surfaceprofile of the stockpile.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Storage and transport systems optimized with respect to stock andprocessing time are an important component of modern flexible bulk goodshandling plants. Obsolescence-proof solutions take into consideration toa particular extent the inclusion in the automation hierarchy and theinexpensive and simple handling in later operation. An object of thepresent invention is to specify a bulk goods handling device such as,for example, a bucket wheel device or a gantry drag or similar whichallows for more inexpensive and simple handling.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the present invention, a conveyor device, forexample, a bucket wheel device is provided for reducing especiallycompressed stock piles or for piling up bulk goods is associated with acontrol device. The bucket wheel device picking up piled-up bulk goodsor, respectively, piling up bulk goods. The bucket wheel device includesa measuring device for measuring the surface profile of the stockpile.The control device automatically moves the bucket wheel device up to thepile-reducing or, respectively, piling-up position based on on themeasured stockpile surface. In this arrangement, the bulk goods areautomatically removed from the pile or, respectively, piled up by meansof the bucket wheel device. This makes it possible to reduce the numberof operating personnel needed to operate bucket wheel devices. Sincebucket wheel devices generally run in 3-shift operation, this leads to adistinct cost advantage.

Moving the bucket wheel device up to a desired pile-reducing orpiling-up position is a particularly maneuver since a collision of thebucket wheel with the stockpile can easily lead to damage or evendestruction of the bucket wheel device. This particularly applies tostockpiles which are compressed during the depositing or thereafter sothat the material does not ignite itself. Generally, the compression isperformed by wheel loaders. In this process, the stockpile profile isgreatly changed. Other reasons for a change in the stockpile profile canbe stockpile downfalls or weather influences, e.g., severe rain andresulting slipping-down of a stockpile side. The problem of precisepositioning of the bucket wheel in the case of stockpiles having anirregular profile caused by such influences is solved particularlyadvantageously by a control which calculates the surface profile of thestockpile from the measurement values supplied by the measuring device.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the present invention, themeasuring device is arranged at the jib, especially in the front area ofthe jib. Because it is arranged in the front area of the jib, themeasuring device supplies particularly complete measurement values inthe area scanned by it.

In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the measuringdevice includes a laser, for example, a semiconductor laser by means ofwhich the stockpile surface is scanned. Scanning of the stockpilesurface is advantageously performed by means of a rotating mirror whichis arranged within the range of the beam of the laser in such a mannerthat the laser beam scans the stockpile surface.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the present invention, thebucket wheel device is associated with a video camera which isconstructed so as to pick up the pile-reducing or, respectively, pilingup of the bulk goods. This video camera is advantageously arrangedbehind the bucket wheel.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the present invention, thebucket wheel device is also associated with a control system or acontrol centre with a display device by means of which the stockpileprofile and/or the pile-reducing or piling-up process can beadvantageously displayed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a bucket wheel device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a bulk goods handling station.

FIG. 3 shows a hardware configuration for a bucket wheel device,according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows a detailed representation of an example hardwareconfiguration for a bucket wheel device according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 shows a gantry drag according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows a screen area for a display system for a bucket wheelexcavator according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a bucket wheel device 24 according to the presentinvention. The bucket wheel device 24 includes a bucket wheel 23arranged on a jib 22. The bucket wheel 23 is used for removing bulkmaterial from a stockpile or, respectively, piling up bulk material on astockpile 20. The bucket wheel device according to the present inventionautomatically moves to a pile-reducing or piling-up position andautomatically removes the bulk material or, respectively, automaticallypiles it up. The bucket wheel 23 is driven to the desired position as afunction of a surface profile of the stockpile. This is calculated by acontrol device, not shown, as a function of measurement values from ameasuring device 21. The measuring device 21 is advantageously arrangedin the front area of the jib 22. The measuring device 21 is used forscanning the stockpile surface. From these samples, a control device,not shown in FIG. 1, calculates the surface profile of the stockpile 20.In an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the bucket wheeldevice 24 is moved, during a measuring run, along the stockpile in sucha manner that the measuring device 21 scans the entire stockpile. In analternative and advantageous development, no separate measuring runs aremade with the bucket wheel device 24 but the surface profile iscalculated from measurement data which are determined during the normaloperation of the bucket wheel device.

FIG. 2 shows a handling station for bulk goods for which the bucketwheel device according to the present invention is used in aparticularly advantageous manner. The illustrative bulk goods handlingstation is used for transferring bulk goods between the transporters,ship 3, 4, 5, train 2 and lorry. For this purpose, the bulk goodshandling station includes ship loading and unloading devices 14, 15, 17,a lorry loading and unloading device 1 and a train loading and unloadingdevice 16. These are connected to one another via a conveyor belt system13. Stockpiles 6, 7, 8 are provided for temporary storage of the bulkgoods. The piling up of the bulk goods on the stockpiles or,respectively, the removal of the bulk goods from the stockpiles isperformed by bucket wheel devices 9, 10, 11 and 12 according to thepresent invention. The bucket wheel devices are also connected to theconveyor belt system 13.

FIG. 3 shows a hardware configuration for a bucket wheel deviceaccording to the present invention. Drive systems 35 for travellingmechanism, lifting mechanism and rotating mechanism are provided forpositioning the bucket wheel device. The drive system 35 is controlledby a control device 34 as a function of the measurement values of angletransmitters 31, 32 and 33. The set points for the control are alsocalculated in the control 34. For this purpose, the control 34determines the surface profile of the stockpile from which bulk goodsare to be removed or, respectively, on which bulk goods are to be piledup, as a function of measurement values which are supplied by ameasuring device 30. This measuring device 30 is advantageouslyconstructed as a semiconductor laser comprising a rotating mirror. Thedata from the control 34 are connected to a higher-level control system36. The higher-level control system 36 is advantageously connected tothe controls of a number of bucket wheel devices according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 shows a detailed representation of an illustrative hardwareconfiguration for a bucket wheel device 50 according to the presentinvention. The bucket wheel device 50 exhibits a jib 74, at the end ofwhich a bucket wheel 72 is arranged. Behind the bucket wheel 72, anarrangement 51 including video cameras 52 and 53 and a measuring device54 are arranged. The video cameras 52, 53 are connected via videocommunication links 69, 70 and optical waveguide converters 58, 59 to anoptical waveguide 71. In addition, the data from the video cameras 52,53 and the measuring device 54 are connected to a control device 73. Thecontrol device 73 includes a plug-in PC 55. The plug-in PC 55 is used inthe control 73 for calculating the surface profile of the stockpile,from which bulk goods are to be removed or, respectively, on to whichbulk goods are to be piled up, in dependence on measurement values whichare supplied by the measuring device 54. The bucket wheel device 50 iscontrolled in dependence on this surface profile. The control device 73is connected to the optical waveguide 71 via an optical interface 57.The optical waveguide 71 is conducted to a control centre 61 via a cabledrum 60. The control center 61 includes a display device 65 and acontrol panel 68 which is connected to the optical waveguide 71 via aperipheral device 67 and an optical interface 64. The display device 65is connected to the optical waveguide 71 via optical waveguideconverters 62, 63. The control center 61 advantageously includes aprinter 66. The communications link implemented on the optical waveguide71 is constructed, for example, as a bus system. In conjunction with theoptical waveguide 71, this produces a particularly fast and reliablecommunications link between the control 73 which is constructedespecially advantageously as a stored-program control, and the controlcenter 61.

In the control device 73, the following tasks are performed

calculating a 3-D; converter of the stockpile profile from the data ofthe measuring device 54 and angle transmitters 31, 32, 33 on travelling,rotating and lifting mechanism;

smoothing the calculated 3-D model;

controlling cameras 52, 53 when cutting into the stockpile (for opticalsafety monitoring at the control centre). Additionally, in the controlsystem, the tasks of:

representing the stockpile in 2D or 3D

calculating the precise starting point on input of a job order and taskmanagement and

displaying of the camera pictures in real time are implemented.

The following illustrative embodiment explains the operation of thebucket wheel device according to the present invention. An emptystockpile is assumed. The example material to be stored is bituminouscoal. The example performance data of the bucket wheel device in theillustrative embodiment includes the following:

Depositing capacity 2000 t/h

Removing capacity 1600 t/h

Jib length 40 m

Angle of rotation 100°

Lifting mechanism +10°, −8°

Typical stockpile height 6 . . . 10 m,

trapezoidal cross-section

Typical stockpile width 35 m

Typical stockpile length 400 m

By way of example, the following operating steps are carried out:

Input of a depositing job via a control centre PC: start 0 m, End 70 m.

Start command is transferred from the control centre PC to the controlof the bucket wheel device.

The bucket wheel device moves to the start position and issues aconveying release to a belt system for transporting to the bucket wheeldevice bituminous coal which is to be piled up by the bucket wheelexcavator.

In accordance with the incoming quantity of bituminous coal, therotating speed is controlled by the control and the is bituminous coalautomatically deposited in the predetermined area.

The control continuously polls the values of the angle transmitters(compare measuring devices 31, 32, 33, FIG. 3) and band weighermeasurement values. From these, a provisional stockpile model iscalculated in the control.

After completion of the depositing process, bituminous coal iscompressed by wheel loaders.

Input of a measuring run between 0 m and 70 m for determining theprecise stockpile model.

The jib is rotated over the stockpile and the area is covered at maximumspeed of the travelling mechanism (up to 40 m/min).

During the measuring run, the laser attached to the jib scans thestockpile at 3 measuring pulses per 10 cm distance travelled, eachmeasuring pulse leading to 200 measurement values.

Blanking out invalid values, recalculation into vectors, interpolationof missing values and smoothing of the profile obtained by the control.

Continual updating of the stockpile model in the control centre PC.

When the 70 m mark is reached, end of the measuring run and message atthe control centre.

Input of a removal job by the operator by positioning a ruler with themouse in a 3-D graphic of the stockpile displayed on the control centrePC and inputting of the required quantity, e.g., cutting in at 65 m,quantity=5000 t.

Calculating the precise point of cutting in and sending a removal orderwith start co-ordinates by the control centre PC to the control.

Bucket wheel device moves into position, the camera pictures aredisplayed in real time on the control centre PC.

Message to the operator: “Cutting-in position reached, continue?”

After release by the operator of the control centre PC by clicking themouse, the bucket wheel device automatically processes the removal job.During this process, the stockpile profile is tracked on the basis ofthe respective bucket wheel position. Conversely, the control in eachcase receives the turn-over points for the rotating mechanism independence on cutting height and stockpile profile.

The quantity measurement derived by the belt weigher reaches the valueof 5000 t; the control lifts the rotating mechanism and sets it parallelto the travelling rail.

Message to the operator of the status PC: “Job 65 m, 5000 t ended”.

FIG. 5 shows a gantry drag 82 constructed in accordance with the presentinvention for piling up bulk goods on a stockpile 80 or, respectively,for removing bulk goods from the stockpile 80. During the removal fromthe stockpile 80, the gantry drag 82 moves bulk goods from the stockpile80 to a conveyor belt 81. The gantry drag 82 is controlled analogouslyto the description with respect to FIGS. 1 to 4 in dependence on a3-dimensional model of the stockpile 80. This is determined by means ofa measuring device 84 which is arranged movably on the cover 86 of thestockpile 80. Furthermore, a monitoring camera 85 is arranged on thecover 86.

The control system 36 in FIG. 4 advantageously exhibits a display systemsuch as it is shown, for example, in FIG. 6. This display systemadvantageously exhibits at least one screen for representing informationin a so-called window technique. According to this type ofrepresentation, various detail windows 41 and 42 can be shown in a mainwindow 40. In the illustrative representation according to FIG. 6, awindow 41 with a 3-D image of the surface profile of the stockpile and awindow 42 with a video image of the bucket wheel device reducing thestockpile shown in window 41 are shown.

What is claimed is:
 1. A conveyor device, comprising: an arrangement forat least one of picking up piled-up bulk goods from a stockpile andpiling-up the bulk goods on the stockpile; a measuring device measuringa surface profile of the stockpile; and a control device controlling thearrangement to automatically move up to one of a desired removalposition and a desired stockpiling position as a function of themeasured stockpile surface profile.
 2. The conveyor device according toclaim 1, wherein the control device further controls the arrangement toone of automatically remove the piled-up bulk goods, and automaticallypile-up the bulk goods.
 3. The conveyor device according to claim 1,wherein the arrangement includes a jib, the measuring device beingarranged on a front area of the jib.
 4. The conveyor device according toclaim 1, wherein the measuring device includes an optical measuringdevice.
 5. The conveyor device according to claim 4, wherein the opticalmeasuring device includes a laser.
 6. The conveyor device according toclaim 5, wherein the laser includes a semiconductor laser.
 7. Theconveyor device according to claim 5, wherein the laser includes arotating mirror.
 8. The conveyor device according to claim 1, whereinthe control device evaluates the measured surface as a function ofmeasured values supplied to the control device from the measuringdevice, and determines from the measured values the stockpile surfaceprofile.
 9. The conveyor device according to claim 1, furthercomprising: at least one video camera capturing images of the one of thepicking up of the bulk goods and piling-up of the bulk goods.
 10. Theconveyor device according to claim 9, wherein the arrangement includes abucket wheel, the at least one video camera being arranged behind thebucket wheel.
 11. The conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein theconveyor device is associated with a control center, the control centerincluding a display device displaying at least one of: i) an image ofthe stockpile surface profile, ii) images of the picking up of the bulkgoods, and iii) images of the piling-up of the bulk goods.
 12. Theconveyor device according to claim 11, further comprising: an opticalwaveguide acting as a communications link between the control device andthe control center.
 13. The conveyor device according to claim 11,further comprising: at least one video camera capturing images of theone of the picking up of the bulk goods and piling-up of the bulk goods;and an optical waveguide acting as a communications link between the atleast one video camera and the control center.
 14. The conveyor deviceaccording to claim 12, wherein the communications link is abi-directional communications link.
 15. The conveyor device according toclaim 14, wherein the communications link is a bus system.
 16. Theconveyor device according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement includes abucket wheel device, the bucket wheel device including a bucket wheelarranged on a jib.
 17. The conveyor device according to claim 1, whereinthe arrangement includes a gantry drag.